Harder to Breathe
by guevarasdarkangel
Summary: The fight with the hellmouth is over. Faith finally finds a place in her to admit her feelings. But what would happen if she runs into FredIllyria? And now she’s trying to find the survivors of the group Fred was with before the fight.


_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. Joss does._

_Summary: The fight with the hellmouth is over. Faith finally finds a place in her to admit her feelings. But what would happen if she runs into Fred/Illyria? And now she's trying to find the survivors of the group Fred was with before the fight._

_Authors Notes: I space out the characters dialog because I know it's easier to read. But there will be blood and a bit of romance with Faith that she thinks of._

* * *

I was listening. Yes that's right listening. You never thought I would listen to people did you? Well that's changed now that I had found redemption. We defeated The First in Sunnydale and now its nothing but a huge crater left there. No more harmful memories and no more fighting. Well B and I won't have to be the only slayers in the world anymore, yeah Willow did some serious mojo changing all the girls around the world into slayers. But there's a problem. We have to find the ones who deserve their calling and train them. Or who ever will cooperate with us. I left the bus only too see the sight of the fallen Sunnydale, California. And went back to the bus helping Robin to one of the empty seats. He needed a lot of rest after being hit with the bringers weapon, he definitely gave me a scare when he when breathless and motionless, only to wake up. I just didn't admit it. I helped bandage him up and the others came back onto the bus as we all headed out for Cleveland, I guess our job isn't finished.  
  
We all had our differences but now I think I finally found someone whom I had chose to love back. Robin. The man that had not given up on me, he wanted to be with me, it was a change because he was the only man who loved me and I loved in return. And he knew the tactics I had used with 'sleep with 'em and dump 'em' phrase. But he didn't let me go, he was sticking with me no matter what, even if he was the son of a slayer because he wouldn't have chose to stick with me in the end. I'm just glad that I was giving myself another chance, and possibly a chance at a true relationship. A smile crept up on my face as I leaned on Robins shoulder; he was sleeping just as I told him to. I didn't care what the others thought, 'cause if they think I would just give up on another relationship, they were wrong this time. I love him and he loves me in return. The feeling is foreign to me because I never received it but now I knew the meaning.  
  
The final battle was over. It was over. That's all I could think of at this point. Was this the feeling of victory? According to Buffy and the Scooby's it was. A sigh escaped my mouth as I sat there. Giles was driving us to Cleveland but I told him we should stop at Los Angeles instead, because if Angel wanted our help he would tell us, but he didn't. But when we stopped there, no one was at the Hyperion Hotel. Then hearing he was working at Wolfram and Hart I couldn't believe he would be working there if they had tried to take his life so many times. But when we went there it was in ruins. The entire inside of the firm was covered in blood and everything was destroyed. Until I saw someone coming out of the hallway towards me, I was the only one who had gone in. She looked like Fred. But the blue and everything didn't fit.  
  
"Fred?" I asked softly.  
  
She looked to me with those cold eyes. One minute she was Illyria the next she was Fred. "Faith...What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here..." she said.  
  
"I thought you guys needed help. What happened here?" I asked her.  
  
Fred looked down and glanced at the bloody mess behind her. "Angel and the rest of the group fought...some failed to keep themselves alive," change of voice as Fred vanished changing to Illyria. "Wesley's dead. I grieve for him and I wish to do more violence..." she looked down again.  
  
"Fred its alright. Please tell me some of them are alive..." I said determined to find out if Angel or someone else survived.  
  
"Angel fled during the fight. He disappeared. Gunn is wounded, but is too far for saving. Wesley's dead. Connor is alive but he went back to his two fake parents. The others are dead. Filthy humans deserved to die, they were working with the evil..." she said.  
  
I couldn't go near her. I couldn't even move from my spot because of what I heard from her. She killed out of grief and guilt. I didn't believe that Fred would do such a thing but this demon in front of her did. But there was no hint of evil in her, no darkness, she was the good Fred underneath and I couldn't just leave her hear. "Fred," I said. "Do you want to come with me and find some other place for you to be?" I asked.  
  
Illyria looked at me and turned her head to one side like I said something in a different language. Then glancing out the glass doors of the wrecked firm, and the blood-covered windows, she must have seen the bus. "I'm Illyria...but call me Fred if you must. I suppose I could come with you and the others that are with you..." she said.  
  
I smiled faintly. Then I led her out to the bus where Giles opened the door but he didn't think it was such a good idea if we took someone else with us. I convinced him she was a friend of mine. I just didn't want to leave Fred or Illyria whatever her name was here to live through what she was. She entered the bus and looked at all the other occupants as if she heard a weird noise from something, but soon she straightened her head and her cold eyes had looked at them before she had changed to normal Fred then back. Fred might have been dead but her soul was not eaten away as they all had thought, she still had inhabited the body as did the essence of Illyria but at least she would be fine now. When we all were perfectly seated each of us were wanting to ask her questions but none of us did. Then we drove off.

TBC...Give me reviews! Please! Its what keeps me going! whispers There might be something between Faith and Fred/Illyria...a fight or will Faith help Fred? OOH! You will have to wait and see now won't you?


End file.
